Critical thinking and the academic vocational divide

Abstract

There is considerable interest in unifying post-compulsory education and training systems through the common teaching of core or key skills. Critical thinking appears to be a very attractive example of such a skill but this article argues against the idea that critical thinking is a core skill that should be widely taught to bridge what is termed ‘the academic vocational divide’. Some of the attractions of this idea are acknowledged but it is argued that the very meanings of critical, academic and vocational depend upon the context and purpose of thinking and it is misleading to suggest that thinking is any kind of a skill. On the basis of this argument and an empirical study it is concluded that when the idea informs curricular policy and practice, far from bridging an academic vocational divide, the idea will actually widen it. If this conclusion is correct for what appears to be a most plausible candidate for a core or key skill, then policies designed to bridge an academic vocational divide that are based on the core or key skills idea should be abandoned.

Keywords:

• Critical Thinking Core Skills Academic Vocational Divide